The Worst Injury Yet
by RedHal
Summary: Challenge by Ghostanimal.  During a ghost attack, Danny's legs become paralyzed. Will he be able to walk again?  And how will his parents react?  Not to mention that some of his powers are on the fritz.


_**The Worst Injury Yet**_

**The Challenge: Danny becomes paralyzed**

**Walker: Here are the rules punks. It has to be from a ghost accident. He can be paralyzed in ghost form, but he doesn't have to be.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Danny Phantom**

Danny Phantom had his hands full as he was fighting both Vlad and the Fright Knight. His friends would help, but he was about 50 feet in the air and his parents hadn't quite perfected the Fenton Jet Packs yet

Luckily, Danny's duplication power had gotten good enough to where he can perfectly duplicate himself so that was helping.

Danny chanced to look down to see if everything was okay with his friends. Sure enough, Sam and Tucker were trying to get his parents out of there.

"Hey V-man! Look! There's the love of your life!" Danny taunted as he pointed down

Vlad fell for it even though Maddie WAS there. But Danny used the distraction to his advantage and punched Vlad.

Just then, the Fright Knight shot a beam of ecto-energy at the same time Vlad did. The two Danny's merged as they bumped into each other from the power screaming and then he blanked out.

0000

When Danny came around, he was in his bed with his sister and two friends gathered around him looking relieved as he woke up

"Guys?" Danny asked weakly

"Thank goodness." Sam and Jazz sighed

"Where are Mom and Dad?" Danny asked

"Don't worry. We sent them on a wild goose chase" Sam assured him

"Don't you mean a wild GHOST chase?" Tucker joked "OW!"

He had gotten punched in both arms by both girls

"What became of Vlad and the Fright Knight?" Danny asked

"Vlad got away, but I got the Fright Knight" Jazz said "Nobody hurts MY little brother"

Danny rolled his eyes, but smiled at his overprotective sister

"Well, we better act as if nothing happened" Danny said pulling aside the covers and froze as he realized something

He couldn't feel his legs.

"Guys?" Danny asked. "What happened after I was hit by those beams?"

"Well, you fell to the ground and when you hit there was a flash as you transformed." Tucker answered "Why?"

"Because I can't feel my legs" Danny informed them

The three full-humans exchanged worried looks. It was clear they didn't have any idea what to do.

"Try transforming" Sam suggested

Danny closed his eyes and pictured his ghost form

"I'm going ghost!" He announced

The rings in the middle formed and the top ring traveled up to turn Danny Fenton into Danny Phantom. However, the bottom ring moved an inch before stopping

"This is bad" Jazz said biting her lower lip as the overprotective sister in her was telling the side-kick in her that she KNEW allowing Danny to continue these ghost hunts behind their parents' backs was a bad idea.

Most injuries could be hidden. Especially since Danny's powers helped him heal faster. Cuts and bruises can be hidden by bandages and long-sleeved shirts, stage make-up for facial injuries or just not telling Jack and Maddie WHAT he had been fighting. Broken bones healed overnight so it was all a matter of getting Jack and Maddie out of the house (easy with either a Fudge sale or false Ghost attack)

"Maybe this can be healed overnight" Danny suggested "Like that broken arm last month against Skulker"

"And if it can't?" Sam asked playing devil's advocate

"It's a trip to the hospital isn't it?" Tucker asked dreading the for-sure affirmative answer more than Danny as Tucker was scared of hospitals

"No!" Danny said. "Nobody can know about this. If this isn't better by tomorrow, we can go to Clockwork. He'll know what to do"

"Fine. I'll tell Mom and Dad you're tired and went to bed early" Jazz said

"Thanks Jazz"

0000

The next morning,

Danny was woken up by someone shaking him gently

"Danny" Jazz's voice came

Danny opened his eyes and turned to his sister who was in her robe.

"What time is it?" Danny asked with a yawn

"Five-thirty. I had to wake up before Mom and Dad do…at least Mom." Jazz said with a bit of a smirk as their father could sleep through a combination of a hurricane, tornado, earthquake, and ghost invasion.

Danny returned the smile before remembering what happened yesterday and realized what she was in his room at five-thirty for. He pulled the covers from his legs again and attempted to swing them off the bed.

Nothing. If he hadn't been looking at his legs, he'd say they had been cut off.

"Sleeping it off didn't work" Danny sighed "this is bad"

Jazz nodded as she sat down on the bed with him.

"do you think you can fly?" she asked

"Help me stand" He said

She swung his arm around her shoulders and moved his useless legs over the side and helped him stand while supporting his full weight as Danny had nothing to support him but her.

Jazz had to admit she was impressed by how heavy he was despite all the missed meals and all the exercise. Not to mention the muscles in his arms and abs that she was feeling. She then realized that the weight was all muscle now

"I'm going ghost" Danny said again

Once again, only half the transformation. Danny peeked in the mirror in his room and chuckled a bit.

"Reminds me of the time Dash and I got zapped by Dad's Fenton Crammer and I was slowly loosing my powers" Danny informed his sister as it looked as if he was just Danny Phantom in jeans and tennis shoes.

"Concentrate on floating" she instructed.

Danny closed his eyes tightly to concentrate.

Nothing

"Try an ecto-blast out the window"

Danny obeyed his sister and a green energy ball shot out the window. Then there was the sound of a car alarm

"oops" Danny winced

"Just the Fenton R.V." Jazz said recognizing the alarm "At least you have SOME defenses. We'll have to ask Clockwork"

"Or we can just have him rewind time so that I'm better prepared for the blast and have those two hit each other" Danny suggested

Somehow, Jazz didn't thing Clockwork would go for that

"The question is," Danny added. "How do we get into the Ghost Zone without Mom and Dad knowing?"

"Leave that to me" she said picking up Danny's cell after putting him back on the bed.

0000

A few hours later,

Jazz was strapping her brother in the back seat of the Fenton Specter Speeder.

"Where are Mom and Dad?" Danny asked

"Oh…I told them that you were captured by the Wisconsin Ghost" Jazz said innocently as she recalled her distraction plan

Flashback

_Jack and Maddie were eating breakfast and tinkering with the BOOmerang to get it to stop targeting Danny_

"_MOM! DAD!" Jazz yelled as she ran into the room. _

"_What's the matter Jazz?" Maddie asked_

"_Is it about GHOST?" Jack asked excitedly_

"_I went to wake up Danny and I saw that Wisconsin ghost fly him out the window!" Jazz lied _

"_WHAT?" the parents exclaimed horrified_

"_That's it" Maddie said dangerously as she pulled out an ecto-bazooka from behind her. "NOBODY kidnaps MY baby boy!" _

_The parents then ran out of the house._

_Smirking, Jazz dialed her cell phone._

"_Phase one is complete" she told Sam_

End Flashback

Jazz then climbed into the driver seat and flew the Speeder out into the ghost zone.

Meanwhile,

"DON'T LOOK AT MY FACE!" Tucker yelled wearing a wig that looked like Danny Fenton's hair while wearing Danny's clothes

"It's okay Danny!" Maddie called out after him. "I can handle disfigurement!"

"Yeah. She married me!" Jack added

0000

A few minutes later,

"No" Clockwork said

"But why?" Danny asked stunned that Clockwork wasn't going to help.

Jazz wasn't too shocked, but she was disappointed.

"Can you at least tell us how we're supposed to explain this to Mom and Dad?" she asked

"I think you know the answer already Jasmine" Clockwork said turning from the old man to a child

She did, but she didn't like it

"What?" Danny asked his sister

"We come clean on everything. That you're Danny Phantom, the accident that caused it, the ghost fighting, you know" Jazz answer

"I CAN'T!" Danny argued before turning to Clockwork. "Mom and Dad will rip me apart molecule by molecule!"

"Daniel" Clockwork explained turning into the middle-aged man. "It's as I told you when we became allies. The observants view time like a parade. One float after another. But I see it from above. All the twists and other paths. This path you are on now ensures that Dark Dan can under no circumstance exist."

"How can you be so sure?" Danny asked

"Because you can't fully use all your powers" Jazz explained as she figured it out.

"That's not a good thing" Danny informed Clockwork

"But…" Jazz continued. "If Mom and Dad get involved in this, they can do some research on ways to help you. They do love you Danny. You should have seen Mom when I told her that Vlad kidnapped you this morning. Once they get over the shock, they'll join Tucker, Sam, and me into making sure you never turn evil"

"Can we think this over before we tell them anything?" Danny asked

"Sure" Jazz said "But we can't wait too long. Mom will catch on"

"Good luck" Clockwork told them as Jazz carried Danny back to the Speeder.

00000

When the Fenton kids got back to the real world, Jazz lifted Danny out of his chair and carried him up to the living room to go up to his bedroom.

"You're lucky I've been working out" Jazz teased him. "These muscles you're gaining make you heavy"

Suddenly, the front door slammed open and Sam and Tucker ran in wearing matching Danny Fenton costumes

"Are those my shirts?" Danny asked his friends.

"What did Clockwork say?" Sam asked concerned

"He won't help" Danny sighed. "No thanks to Dark Dan. Either I'm without certain powers or Mom and Dad get involved"

"Not much choice in the matter." Tucker said making a face

The door slammed open again and Jack and Maddie entered panting. When they looked up to see the real Danny in Jazz's arms and Sam and Tucker dressed as Danny, Maddie got suspicious

"What's going on?" Maddie asked

"When'd we get THREE Dannys?" Jack added confused "Did you clone yourself Son?"

"No, but funny you should mention cloning" Danny said chuckling as he thought of Danni.

"Jazz? Why are you carrying your brother?" Maddie asked

There was a pause as the four teen ghost hunters looked at each other

"Because I can't walk" Danny admitted as he looked at the floor

"What do you mean you can't walk?" Maddie gasped as Jazz laid her brother on the couch and sat down with him where if he needed to lay down, her lap could be his pillow

Sam and Tucker also stood by the couch ready to jump forward if the parents overreacted

"Did a ghost do this?" Jack asked

"Yes" Danny confessed. "The Wisconsin Ghost and the Fright Knight"

"Not Phantom?" Jack asked confused

Danny shook his head

"Did Phantom have anything to do with this?" Maddie asked gently, but her kids heard the danger in her voice.

"Best get it out fast. Sam, Tucker, and I are here for you" Jazz whispered to her hesitant brother.

"Yes." Danny answered his mother. But before she could badmouth his alter ego, he added quickly, "becasueI'mhim"

"What?" the parents asked not sure if they caught that right

The room was silent. When Jazz realized just how badly Danny was shaking, she pulled him onto her lap as if he was two again and held him while explaining to her parents

"Remember the lab accident about a year ago?" she asked. "Well, Danny got full blast of the ecto-energy and…it messed with his DNA."

"It's Sam's fault!" Tucker added earning a punch on the arm

"This isn't possible" Maddie said.

"You're sure that Phantom's not possessing you?" Jack asked

"He's not." Danny assured his parents. "We're the same person."

"But…what about that time when we saw you and Phantom side-by-side?" Maddie argued

"Mix-up with the Fenton Ghost Catcher." Danny said

"I'm sure you realized how lazy human-Danny was and how crazy ghost-Danny had been. I mean…he was wearing a BEDSHEET!" Jazz added

"No need to rub it in Jazz" Danny told his sister

The teens turned to the parents. Maddie had sat down in the armchair rubbing her temples and muttering 'this is not possible' over and over again

"So THIS is why the inventions target you?" Jack asked

Danny nodded before closing his eyes and doing his half-transformation

The parents blinked. It was one thing HEARING it, but to actually see their son transform into the ghost they had sworn to hunt…

"I need some fudge" Jack said going to the kitchen.

Danny transformed back upon seeing his mother near tears.

"It's okay Mom. I'm still me. Just…I can do more" Danny assured her

She got up and walked over to her son and daughter. Then she sat on the edge of the couch and placed her hand over her son's heart as if needing the confirmation that he was not dead.

"His is this possible?" she asked upon feeling the heartbeat.

"The way I see it Mom," Jazz informed her mother. "Danny's no more a ghost than Peter Parker is a spider"

"Only difference is that Peter Parker is a fictional character." Maddie pointed out

"The other ghosts call me a halfa. Half a human, half a ghost" Danny explained to his mother

"And this injury?" she asked placing her hand on his knee

"Fighting two ghosts at once. Shot with an ectoblast and fell from about 50 feet. Transformed when I hit" Danny said

"You've been fighting ghosts!" Maddie gasped

"YES!" Jack cheered from the kitchen having heard while he searched for the hidden fudge

"It's my fault the ghosts are here since I activated the portal." Danny said. "It's my responsibly and I have the powers."

Maddie ran her hand through her short brunette hair. Whereas she was proud that Danny learned responsibility, though he hadn't shown it, she didn't want her baby boy in danger.

"And for the record Mom," Danny added. "This is the worst injury yet"

Jazz nodded in confirmation

"How long have you known?" Maddie asked her daughter and her son's friends

"We were there when he first got them" Sam answered pointing to herself and Tucker

"Last November" Jazz said. "I saw him transforming in an alleyway"

"And why didn't you come to us?" Maddie asked her son

"I wanted to at first." Danny said. "But I kept chickening out or getting interrupted. But then the mayor got possessed and the ghost that possessed him framed me. Every time I considered telling you the truth, you and/or Dad would start talking about dissecting me"

"Oh Danny" Maddie sighed as she hugged her son "maybe a blood sample, but never something where we can hurt you. You're our son first and foremost. RIGHT JACK!'

"Huh?" Jack asked sticking his head out with his mouth full of fudge

"We wouldn't dissect Danny" She said giving him a glare

"Right" Jack answered "The ghost that hurt you, yes. You, no"

"Thanks" Danny said feeling like a large weight had lifted from his shoulders

"This WILL take some getting used to" Maddie added "And you're grounded for keeping such a large secret from us"

Danny only nodded, not feeling up for arguing. It's not like he could do much and he was still pretty bummed out about Clockwork not helping.

"Now," Maddie said. "How about we get you to a hospital and get a professional to figure out what's up with your legs?"

"But what about my…other condition?" Danny asked

"Your ghost half?" Maddie asked. "If the doctor takes a blood sample and notices some ectoplasm, we could probably convince him that you've been around too much of our equipment"

"Never thought of that" Danny mused

"Jack!" Maddie called

"I'm coming" Jack said walking up to the couch knowing what his wife wanted. He then lifted up his son with no effort.

"You kids want to come?" Maddie asked

"Sure/No" Sam and Tucker said with Tucker's answer being an octave higher

"Right. Scared of hospitals" Maddie recalled. "We'll give you a call when we get an answer Tucker"

"Thanks Mrs. F." Tucker said

A half an hour later,

Danny was laying on the hospital bed with his family gathered around him. Sam had headed on home after Jazz promised to call when they got an answer.

The doctor, Dr. Lewis, walked in. He was a tall, dark-skinned man with bright brown eyes.

"Well Mr. Fenton." Lewis said. "Whatever you were doing, you damaged your spinal cord pretty badly"

"Can it be treated?" Maddie asked

"Well," Lewis said "I won't lie. There IS a treatment, but studies show that less than half recover and of those, about a fifth are able to walk again, but need crutches."

"I know that study" Jazz said. "But didn't over half of those recovered learn to completely walk again?"

"Those had incomplete paraplegia" Lewis informed the girl. "Your brother has complete"

"Can I think about it?" Danny asked

"Of course" Lewis said

0000

A week later,

Danny spent most of his time downstairs reading some books his parents got him on ghost hunting despite having done it for almost a year now. He was really starting to miss the action and wanted to at least give the treatment a shot. But he wasn't sure how his family would afford that.

He had a feeling his parents would ask Vlad for help, but he didn't want to owe anything to the other halfa that did this to him. And he didn't want to ask Sam. He had SOME pride.

Just then the door opened and his parents came in from an afternoon of ghost hunting.

"Catch anything?" Danny asked as he had confided in his parents some places he had the best luck

"Oh yeah" Jack said "A few even asked about you. Wanted to know where the halfa is"

Danny rolled his eyes

"Anyways," Maddie said. "Have you given any thought as to if you want the operation?"

"I would like it, but how can we afford it? You need the money for your inventions" Danny said

"Glad to see you've finally understand the concept of a dollar."

"I had Jazz research the procedure and it's a bit costly" Danny admitted. "Even I know when too much is too much"

"Danny. Don't you worry about the price. We've got it covered"

"How?" Danny asked his mother.

His mother smiled and shook the Fenton Thermos

Danny blinked cluelessly

"Your sister told us the truth about the 'Wisconsin Ghost'" Maddie explained "We told him that if he didn't want to be the one ripped apart molecule by molecule after what he and that Fright Knight did to you, he'd pay for the operation without want of repayment"

Danny laughed at the irony. What he had been telling Vlad all this time, but was too scared to prove it was true, had come true: Jack and Maddie would accept Danny, but Vlad would be the one hunted

"Thanks Mom" Danny said "Thanks Dad"

"We dropped by the Mayor's office after we ran into this ghost that kept shouting 'Beware'" Jack said

"You mean…he's in there with the box ghost!" Danny laughed at Vlad's fate.

"And some old lunch lady"

Danny winced as he couldn't help but to remember Boxed Lunch.

"Well? Still interested in the operation now that you know we have the cost covered?" Maddie asked

Danny nodded

"I'll call Dr. Lewis then" Maddie said going over to the phone.

0000

Two months later,

Sam and Tucker were back in school. As it turned out, Danny had to be transferred to another hospital out of state for the operation as Maddie and Jack had decided to let a specialist do it as Vlad was paying for the operation. Danny had been gone for two months. Luckily, Maddie had locked the portal so it was fairly quiet.

"Hey guys"

The two turned and smiled as Danny was on crutches, but standing up nonetheless.

"Danny!" the two friends chorused

"how are you feeling?" Sam asked

"Better. Legs are a bit sore, but at least I can feel them." Danny said with a smile. "Doctor said I should be okay in two more months, but Mom thinks that with my powers, it'll be more like two weeks"

"That's great Dude." Tucker said. "How's…Phantom?"

"Phantom is perfectly fine and can now perfectly duplicate himself into three without trying" Danny said knowing that they were talking about his alter ego in third person because they were in a public location.

"Fenton? What happened?"

Danny turned and saw Valerie and Star.

"Fell off the Op Center" Danny lied "I'm okay though. Phantom made sure I wasn't killed"

"I bet it was Phantom that made you fall in the first place" Valerie said with a bite in her tone.

"Actually, no. That was the Wisconsin Ghost" Danny said

"C'mon Danny. Let's get you to class in case Lancer doesn't go easy on you just because your crippled." Tucker said sensing the tension between the two girls with the crush on Danny

The Trio walked to class slowly. Things were getting back to normal

The End

A/N: There will be no sequel. Also, I have a Harry Potter Poll on my profile that will be taken down on the 21st of May. If you haven't voted, you're running out of time. There will be a few more after that so keep your eyes peeled. I also haven't forgotten about some of the other stories I've been promising. Just those plot bunnies have been for the wrong stories


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